Couple found dead on Norfolk river bank may have died in suicide pact

A couple found dead on a mud bank in a Norfolk estuary may have taken their own lives in a suicide pact.

The bodies of the man and woman were spotted at 11.20am on Thursday by a birdwatcher with a telescope.

Police confirmed that the deaths were not being treated as suspicious and nobody else was being hunted in connection with the tragedy.

The couple who lived locally and were aged in their 60s are thought to have carefully planned their deaths at Breydon Water near Great Yarmouth, Norfolk.

An investigation is now underway to establish how they got into the tidal estuary which is a wildlife haven, known as the gateway to the Norfolk Broads.

The bodies were found on a mud bank more than 100 yards from the shore and half a mile from the Breydon Bridge which crosses the estuary.

The area where the bodies were recovered is also close to a salt marsh which has a 15ft wide drainage channel.

A local dog walker said it was possible that the couple could have gone into the channel and been washed away.

Police and firefighters recovered the bodies from the mudbankCredit:
Albanpix.com

A team of firefighters, coastguards and police took around three hours to recover the bodies as they were difficult to reach on the mudbank.

A Norfolk Police spokeswoman said: “Police can confirm the deaths of a man and woman whose bodies were discovered at Breydon Water are not being treated as suspicious.

“Emergency services were called to the scene on Thursday after a member of the public reported seeing two bodies on the mud flats.

“They were later recovered with assistance from colleagues at the Coastguard and Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service.

“Officers have identified the man and woman, a couple aged in their early 60s and from the local area and are satisfied there are no suspicious circumstances surrounding the incident.

“A file will be prepared for the Her Majesty’s coroner in due course and enquiries to trace next-of-kin are continuing.”

Post mortem examinations are due to be held to establish how the couple died

Breydon Water which is three miles long and up to a mile wide opens to the sea through the port area of Great Yarmouth.

The tidal estuary links the northern and southern areas of the Broads with the waters from three rivers – the Yare, Bure and Waveney – flowing into it.

It includes a nature reserve for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and is designated as a European Union Special Protection Area.

The estuary has a large number of wading birds and wildfowl in the winter including 12,000 golden plovers, 12,000 wigeons, 32,000 lapwings and tens of thousands of Bewick's swans.

One local man claimed there had been a number of incidents in the area recently with people attempting to take their own lives.

Hawkar Hassan, 29, who works as a car cleaner in the nearby Asda car park, said: “I saw one man standing to the bridge as if he was about to jump six weeks ago. The police went to speak to him and grabbed him before he could jump.

“The same thing happened with another man three weeks ago. I looked up and saw a man there with the police.

“I think it is a place where people try and kill themselves if they have problems. The water under the bridge is very difficult to swim in.”